Feed and rammer arrangement at automatic firearms



April 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR l-:TAL

FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.

'7 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 5, 1945 April 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR ETAL FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed Nov. 5, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 am ma@ a mm! v um@ Na IH/ W rm 0 fs l e@ .V

April 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR ETAL FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed Nov. 5, 1945 7 sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. VlC for Hainmar v. HAMMAR ETAL 2,594,770

7 Sheets-Sheet 4 April .29, 1952 FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed Nov. 5. 1945 April 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR ETAL FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 1945 pril 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR ErAL 2,594,770

FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed Nov. 5. 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENToRs Vzc'far Hammdr @a WM.

April 29, 1952 v. HAMMAR ETAL FEED AND RAMMER ARRANGEMENT AT AUTOMATIC F'IREARMS '7 sheets-sheet '7 Filed Nov. 5, 1945 Mkw oMc #V n n MM5@ /HM m0, 7F Mm Vw? G/ UNITED STATE Patented pr. 29, i952 FEED AUTOMATIC FIREARMS- Victor Hammar and Gustaf vDahlbck, Bofors, Sweden; Hedvig` Irene Dahlbck, administratrix of said Gustaf Dahlbek, deceased, assignors to AktielbolagetBofors, Befors, Sweden, a Swedish Application november 5, 1945*,.seria1 No. 626,643

In Sweden February A7, 1942 section 1, Public Law 69o, August s, 194s Patent expires February 7, 1962 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a feed and rammer arrangement for automatic rearms, in which the magazine is provided above the loading bridge and from which a cartridge fed downward thereto is delivered and set up in the breech by an automatically operating rammer, and the invention substantially characterized by two c successively operating feed-down mechanisms, Y .one ofwhich is actuated at the recoil of the tube and is; so` arranged that it feeds down onto the loading bridge the undermost cartridge in the magazine, while the other feed-down mechanism is actuated at the counter-recoil of the tube and is so arranged that it Ifeeds down one step, whereas the other cartridges remain in the magazine. This arrangement of downward feed is made possible because the loading bridge is provided with a swingable cartridge flute acting ae a carrier-for the ejected cartridge-case which is thus able' `to pass the incoming cartridge fed down to the charging bridge during the recoil. The invention enables considerable reduction of vibration of there-farms during shooting. t

Otherfeatures of the invention will hereafter be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the attached d rawings; wherein:

Figs. .la and 1b, taken together, illustrate an automatic cannon in longitudinal section wherein the parts are shown in the position where the recoilablesystem is returning to its rear position. Figs. 2a and 2btaken together, show a similar section but viewed from the opposite side and .with the parts in the position where the rammer has been thrown forward and the cartridge is on its way to the breech. o o

Figs. 3a and 3b,taken together, illustrate, also inA longitudinal section, the cannon in position of counter-recoil and viewed from the same side asin Figs. 2a. and 2b. 3 Y Fig.` 4 is finally a section along the line Ivt-IV The tube `I yis provided with a breech block 2 of knownA kind which is automatically opened after shooting, whereby the empty cartridge-case is ejected, and thereafter is automatically closed as soon as the next cartridge has been delivered.

The automatic loading arrangement consists partly of a rammer arrangement and partly of a; feed down `arrangexnent and is enclosed in the mechanism box 3 forming a continuation ofthe y vrecoil mantle 4. The loading bridge is xed to the rear end of the tube and consequently takes part in the recoil movement of the tube. Said bridge `5 consists of a rear cartridge iiute 6 provided at the front with a flute 'I journaled for up and down rotation about a pin 8. Behind the rst cartridge flute 6 is another cartridge flute All xed to the mechanism box 3 which conse- V quently does not take part in the recoil movement. The rotatable cartridge iiute 'I abucsat the front against the breech block and is consequently held in raised position when the breech is closed, i. e. when the breech block is in its upper position.

When the breech block is opened, the cartridge flute l, however, is held for a predetermined time (see Fig. l) in its raised position by means of a pawl 36 and serves therefore as a carrier for the empty cartridge-case. When ejected this cartridge-case is carried obliquely downwards below the cartridge flute 1 and is removed by the deflector I2 (see Fig. 2) lixed to the lower side of the mechanism box 3. As soon as the cartridgecase has been removed, the cartridge flute 1 is `disengaged. and falls down into a position parallel to theaxis of the tube, thus forming a oontinuation of the cartridge flute 6. When the next cartridge has been delivered to the breech,4the breech block is 4closed automatically in known manner whereby the flute 1 is once more raised V by the breech-block to its initial position (Fig.

3). Therammer mechanism that throws the cartridge fed down on the cartridge flutes 6 and 9 into the breech I3 is arranged at the rear of y the mechanism boxm and consists of the rammer I4, the guide bar l5, the rammer spring `l6and the pawl arm I1. The rammer I4 consists of a carriage displaceably journalled in two guides I I fixedl to the inner walls of the mechanism box A member I8 .extending downwardly from l the rammer carriage encloses the guide bar I5.

The rammer springA `I6` is arranged about the guide bar I5 and Vabuts at the front against the members I8 of therammer carriage andat the rear against the rear wall of the mechanism v box 3.

When the tube recoils the rammer is actuated by an extension of the loading bridge v5 and is displaced -backwards while simultaneously commovement.

pressing the rammer spring I6. When this spring is suiciently compressed, the pawl lever I1 snaps in behind the member I8 of the rammer I4 and the extension of the charging bridge is disengaged. The rammer is kept in locked position until the recoil movement has been completed and until counter-recoil movement begins when the pawl lever I1 is automatically disengaged. Meanwhile the breech block has been opened, the empty cartridge-case has been ejected and the swinging cartridge flute 1 has come to downward position. When the rammer is free from the pawl arm I1 it is displaced rapidly forwards by the action of the rammer spring to its initial position, thereby bringing with it the cartridge fed down to the cartridge flute of the loading bridge. Thereafter the inertia of the cartridge propels it forwards into the breech I3 of the tube. As soon as the cartridge is in place and the breech block closed, firing takes place automatically.

For the downward feed of the cartridges to the loading bridge there are two successively operating feed down mechanisms, one of which is actuated at the recoil movement of the tube and delivers to the loading bridge the undermost cartridge in the magazine. The other feed down mechanism is actuated at the counter-recoil movement of the tube and advances the remaining cartridges one step.

The feed down mechanism operating during the counter-recoil movement is placed according to the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawings on the right side of the mechanism box 3 and consists of ve spring urged cartridge guides swingably'journaled in the feed down arm 2I. This arm is vertically displaceable and its lower end is connected to a double arm lever 22 swingably journalled in the mechanism box about the shaft 23. The fore end of the lever 22 is provided with a roller 24 running in a guide groove 25 at the right side of the loading bridge 5. The guide groove 25 is so shaped that the lever 22 is given a swinging movement corresponding to the to and fro movement of the loading bridge during the recoil and counter# recoil, whereby the feed-down arm 2l connected to the lever 22 is given an upward and downward The cartridge guides 20 are withdrawn during upward movement of arm 2l but are held extended during downward movement whereby they feed the cartridges in the magazine one step down. The undermost cartridge isv delivered to the cartridge supports 25 and 21 (Fig. 4). This cartridge was resting before delivery against three rotatable star-shaped support wheels 28 arranged on a common, freely journalled shaft 29 and so arranged that, upon downward movement of the cartridge guides 20 said shaft 29 is displaced somewhat to the side and simultaneously rotated permitting the cartridge to fall down on the supports 2S, 21. A spring loaded lever 26, 21 returns shaft 23 with the support wheels 28 to initial position.

The feed-down mechanism operating during the recoil movement is placed on the opposite side of the mechanism box and is substantially of the same construction as the right feed-down mechanism. It consists of a cartridge guide 30 (Fig. 4) connected to the feed-down arm 3l in turn connected to a double arm lever 33 journalled on a shaft in the mechanism box and provided at its fore end with a roller 34 running in a guide groove 35 on the left side of the loading bridge. During the recoil the feed-down arm 3i is displaced with the cartridgeguide downwards and then feeds down to the loading bridge the undermost cartridge positioned on the supports 26 and 21. This is made possible by the supports 26 and 21 being swingably suspended and subjected to the action of spring 26a so that they are forced to the side as the cartridge is fed downward.

For preventing the cartridges from being thrown from their positions in the magazine at high elevations or as a result of vibrations there are provided at the left inner wall of the mechanism box six cartridge holders 32 (Fig. 4). All the cartridge holders are adapted to swing aside so that the cartridges can pass down and are spring urged in spread out position.

Having now particularly described the nature of our invention and the manner of its operation, what we claim is:

1. In an automatic rearm having a recoilable tube, a feed and rammer device comprising a loading bridge, a magazine located above the bridge, an automatically operating rammer adapted to propel into the breech of the firearm a cartridge resting on the bridge, and two successively operating feed-down mechanisms adapted to feed cartridges from the magazine to the bridge, one mechanism being actuated by recoil and the other by counter-recoil of the tube, the recoil actuated mechanism comprising means engaging the lowermost cartridge in the magazine and means for moving said first means toward the bridge as the tube recoils, whereby the lowermost cartridge in the magazine is fed to the bridge when the tube recoils, and the counterrecoil actuated mechanism comprising means engaging al1 but the lowermost cartridge in the magazine, and means for moving the last-mentioned means toward the bridge as the tube is moved by counter-recoil, whereby all the other cartridges are fed down one step in the magazine.

2. A device as claimed in c aim 1 further comprising at least one spring biased cartridge support and wherein said counter-recoil actuated mechanism is adapted to feed the undermost cartridge in said magazine onto said support.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said recoil actuated mechanism comprises a groove in said bridge, a double arm lever guided in said groove, a feed arm actuated by said lever for vertical reciprocating movement, and a cartridge guide connected to said feed arm. f

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said recoil actuated mechanism comprises a 'groove in said bridge, a double arm lever guided in said groove, a feed arm actuated by said, lever for vertical reciprocating movement, and a cartridge guide connected to said feed arm, said feedarm and cartridge guide being displaceable downwardly during recoil to deliver to said bridge the cartridge resting on said support.

5. A device as claimed in claim l wherein said rammer comprises a carriage journaled for displacement intwo fixed'guiding supports, a guide bar, on which said carriage is slidably mounted, and a compression spring surrounding said guide bar and abutting against a fixed member of said carriage at the forward end and against a fixed support at the rear end.

6. 'A device as claimed in claim 5 further comprising an extension on said bridge arrangedto engage and displace said rammer on recoil ofthe tube and to compress said spring, and a'pawl arranged to engage said member when said spring is fully compressed.- l

7.- In combination'with-a dev'lce'as claimed' in 5 claim 2, a breech block mechanism adapted for automatic actuation and comprising a vertically reciprocable key, said second cartridge ute' n raised position abutting against said key wh n said mechanism is closed, and a pawl arranged to hold said flute in raised position for a short interval of time after said mechanism is opened.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein: a cartridge ute is stationarily arranged below said magazine, said bridge being arranged in froftfof said cartridge ute and consisting of a first :cartridge ute and a second cartridge ute journaled for rotation about a horizontal axis transversely of said bridge. VICTOR GUSTAF DAHLBACK.'

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,702 Maxim June 9, 1891 644,969 Dawson et a1 Mar. 6, 1900 702,240 Noble June 10, 1902 1,525,065 Browning Feb. 3, 1925 2,192,677 Hoagland et a1. Mar. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 398,081 Great Britain Sept. 7, 1933 Y 

